Pre-orders are currently being taken by GameStop for the 16GB version, which retails for $249 and will be available around the middle of July. While there is the cheaper 8GB model at $199, it doesn’t look like GameStop is going to take pre-orders for it. Thankfully, you can make up some of that value by trading in your old video games, gaming hardware, accessories, iDevices and eligible Android tablets.

GameStop has been accepting trade-ins for a while, but they’re offering a 30% bonus on the trade-in value when you put it toward the purchase of a 16GB Nexus 7. Remember that, for a limited time, you also get the $25 credit for the Google Play Store, plus a free copy of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

“We’ve seen great consumer enthusiasm for our recommerce initiatives, particularly our iDevice trade program that launched last fall,” said Tony Bartel, president of GameStop. “With the increasing popularity of Android tablets and the emerging multiscreen gaming trend, this is the ideal time to expand the program to meet the needs of our hybrid customers.”

[Source]

The post Google Nexus 7 Pre-Orders at GameStop with 30% Bonus Trade-In Value appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

When e-readers hit the scene, it’s like every bookstore chain wanted a piece of the action. It mostly started with the Amazon Kindle, but that quickly spawned the Nook and Kobo. The same sort of thing is happening with tablets now too, but we’ve got an unlikely entry coming down the chute: GameStop.

Sure, it makes perfect sense for HTC and Samsung to get involved with tablets, but what’s a video game retailer doing in there? Well, as the rumor goes, GameStop is working on its own branded gaming tablet device which will likely tie into a GameStop branded online store for buying tablet games. This could be a similar approach to something like the Xperia Play, which ties in with Sony’s PlayStation business.

On the one hand, I guess I get it. GameStop sees an opportunity and wants to strike the pan while it’s still hot. They’ve already acquired digital distro service Impulse and game streamer Spawn Labs, both of which point toward that kind of possibility. On the other hand, they don’t really need to have their own hardware, do they?

The Android world is already pretty segmented, so why not add more fuel to the flame by opening up a GameStop branding online store for tablet games? If Amazon can try to compete with Android Market, I don’t see why GameStop wouldn’t try that route too (albeit with a distinct gaming focus). This way, they don’t have to mess with the added complication of supporting their own hardware. In any case, the rumor says that the GameStop gaming tablet is due for release by the end of the year.

[Read]

The post GameStop Gaming Tablet Set for Release This Year? appeared first on Mobile Magazine.